1
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Kleiner S, Wulf V, Bisker G. Single-walled carbon nanotubes as near-infrared fluorescent probes for bio-inspired supramolecular self-assembled hydrogels. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 670:439-448. [PMID: 38772260 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.05.098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Hydrogels derived from fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-conjugated amino acids and peptides demonstrate remarkable potential in biomedical applications, including drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and tissue engineering. These hydrogels can be injectable, offering a minimally invasive approach to hydrogel implantation. Given their potential for prolonged application, there is a need for non-destructive evaluation of their properties over extended periods. Thus, we introduce a hydrogel characterization platform employing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes. Our approach involves generating supramolecular self-assembling hydrogels from aromatic Fmoc-amino acids. Integrating SWCNTs into the hydrogels maintains their structural and mechanical properties, establishing SWCNTs as optical probes for hydrogels. We demonstrate that the SWCNT NIR-fluorescence changes during the gelation process correlate to rheological changes within the hydrogels. Additionally, single particle tracking of SWCNTs incorporated in the hydrogels provides insights into differences in hydrogel morphologies. Furthermore, the disassembly process of the hydrogels can be monitored through the SWCNT fluorescence modulation. The unique attribute of SWCNTs as non-photobleaching fluorescent sensors, emitting at the biologically transparent window, offers a non-destructive method for studying hydrogel dynamics over extended periods. This platform could be applied to a wide range of self-assembling hydrogels to advance our understanding and applications of supramolecular assembly technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirel Kleiner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Verena Wulf
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Gili Bisker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; Center for Light-Matter Interaction, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
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2
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Wallace CM, Rovers MM, Bellan R, Rutten MGTA, Seddon A, Dalby MJ, Dankers PYW, Adams DJ. Investigating the self-assembly of 2NapFF and ureido-pyrimidinone multicomponent systems for cell culture. J Mater Chem B 2024. [PMID: 39171867 PMCID: PMC11340344 DOI: 10.1039/d4tb00836g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Low molecular weight gels are formed via the self-assembly of small molecules into fibrous structures. In the case of hydrogels, these networks entrap large volumes of water, yielding soft materials. Such gels tend to have weak mechanical properties and a high permeability for cells, making them particularly appealing for regenerative medicine applications. Ureido-pyrimidinone (UPy) supramolecular gelators are self-assembling systems that have demonstrated excellent capabilities as biomaterials. Here, we combine UPy-gelators with another low molecular weight gelator, the functionalized dipeptide 2NapFF. We have successfully characterized these multicomponent systems on a molecular and bulk scale. The addition of 2NapFF to a crosslinked UPy hydrogel significantly increased hydrogel stiffness from 30 Pa to 1300 Pa. Small-angle X-ray scattering was used to probe the underlying structures of the systems and showed that the mixed UPy and 2NapFF systems resemble the scattering data produced by the pristine UPy systems. However, when a bifunctional UPy-crosslinker was added, the scattering was close to that of the 2NapFF only samples. The results suggest that the crosslinker significantly influences the assembly of the low molecular weight gelators. Finally, we analysed the biocompatibility of the systems using fibroblast cells and found that the cells tended to spread more effectively when the crosslinking species was incorporated. Our results emphasise the need for thorough characterisation at multiple length scales to finely control material properties, which is particularly important for developing novel biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe M Wallace
- School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK.
| | - Maritza M Rovers
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600 MB, The Netherlands
| | - Riccardo Bellan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600 MB, The Netherlands
| | - Martin G T A Rutten
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600 MB, The Netherlands
| | - Annela Seddon
- School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
| | - Matthew J Dalby
- Centre for Cell Engineering, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
| | - Patricia Y W Dankers
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600 MB, The Netherlands
| | - Dave J Adams
- School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK.
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3
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Veloso SRS, Rosa M, Diaferia C, Fernandes C. A Review on the Rheological Properties of Single Amino Acids and Short Dipeptide Gels. Gels 2024; 10:507. [PMID: 39195036 DOI: 10.3390/gels10080507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Self-assembled peptide-based hydrogels have attracted considerable interest from the research community. Particularly, low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) consisting of amino acids and short peptides are highly suitable for biological applications owing to their facile synthesis and scalability, as well as their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and stability in physiological conditions. However, challenges in understanding the structure-property relationship and lack of design rules hinder the development of new gelators with the required properties for several applications. Hereby, in the plethora of peptide-based gelators, this review discusses the mechanical properties of single amino acid and dipeptide-based hydrogels. A mutual analysis of these systems allows us to highlight the relationship between the gel mechanical properties and amino acid sequence, preparation methods, or N capping groups. Additionally, recent advancements in the tuning of the gels' rheological properties are reviewed. In this way, the present review aims to help bridge the knowledge gap between structure and mechanical properties, easing the selection or design of peptides with the required properties for biological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sérgio R S Veloso
- Physics Centre of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), Laboratory of Physics for Materials and Emergent Technologies (LaPMET), University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Mariangela Rosa
- Department of Pharmacy, Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sui Peptidi Bioattivi "Carlo Pedone" (CIRPeB), University of Naples "Federico II", Via Tommaso de Amicis 95, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Diaferia
- Department of Pharmacy, Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sui Peptidi Bioattivi "Carlo Pedone" (CIRPeB), University of Naples "Federico II", Via Tommaso de Amicis 95, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Célio Fernandes
- Transport Phenomena Research Centre (CEFT), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP), Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- Centre of Mathematics (CMAT), School of Sciences, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
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4
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Pandey SN, Pathak NP, Sengupta A, Yadav S. Understanding the gelation properties of the fluorophenyl glycosides of arabinoside gelators: experimental and theoretical studies. SOFT MATTER 2024. [PMID: 39041286 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00521j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
In supramolecular gelation, fluorinated gelators are important due to the unique properties displayed by these compounds that arise out of the presence of fluorine atoms. Generally, incorporation of fluorine leads to higher mechanical strength of the gels compared to their non-fluorinated counterparts and this property is enhanced with increasing the number of fluorine atoms. Herein, we show that the incorporation of fluorine into the phenyl ring of phenyl arabinoside allows the molecule to act as a gelator, unlike the non-fluorinated compound. We also show that the mechanical strength and stiffness of the gels is not only dependent on the positions of the fluorine atoms but also guided by their number. Detailed experimental studies, supported by computational studies, allowed us to rationalize the observed supramolecular interactions and propose reasons based on the conformational preferences of these compounds that allow additional hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions which guide the self-assembly, in addition to the primary H-bonding interactions. This, in turn, affects the mechanical behavior of these gels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachchida N Pandey
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826004, India.
| | - Navendu P Pathak
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826004, India.
| | - Arunava Sengupta
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826004, India.
| | - Somnath Yadav
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826004, India.
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5
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Giuri D, Cenciarelli F, Tomasini C. Low-molecular-weight gels from amino acid and peptide derivatives for controlled release and delivery. J Pept Sci 2024:e3643. [PMID: 39010663 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
Low-molecular-weight (LMW) gelators are a versatile class of compounds able to self-assemble and to form supramolecular materials, such as gels. The use of LMW peptides to produce these gels shows many advantages, because of their wide structure tunability, the low-cost and effective synthesis, and the in vivo biocompatibility and biodegradability, which makes them optimal candidates for release and delivery applications. In addition, in these materials, the binding of the hosts may occur through a variety of noncovalent interactions, which are also the main factors responsible for the self-assembly of the gelators, and through specific interactions with the fibers or the pores of the gel matrix. This review aims to report LMW gels based on amino acid and peptide derivatives used for the release of many different species (drugs, fragrances, dyes, proteins, and cells) with a focus on the possible strategies to incorporate the cargo in these materials, and to demonstrate how versatile these self-assembled materials are in several applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demetra Giuri
- Dipartimento di Chimica Giacomo Ciamician, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabia Cenciarelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica Giacomo Ciamician, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudia Tomasini
- Dipartimento di Chimica Giacomo Ciamician, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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6
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Bianco S, Hasan M, Ahmad A, Richards SJ, Dietrich B, Wallace M, Tang Q, Smith AJ, Gibson MI, Adams DJ. Mechanical release of homogenous proteins from supramolecular gels. Nature 2024; 631:544-548. [PMID: 39020036 PMCID: PMC11254749 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07580-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
A long-standing challenge is how to formulate proteins and vaccines to retain function during storage and transport and to remove the burdens of cold-chain management. Any solution must be practical to use, with the protein being released or applied using clinically relevant triggers. Advanced biologic therapies are distributed cold, using substantial energy, limiting equitable distribution in low-resource countries and placing responsibility on the user for correct storage and handling. Cold-chain management is the best solution at present for protein transport but requires substantial infrastructure and energy. For example, in research laboratories, a single freezer at -80 °C consumes as much energy per day as a small household1. Of biological (protein or cell) therapies and all vaccines, 75% require cold-chain management; the cost of cold-chain management in clinical trials has increased by about 20% since 2015, reflecting this complexity. Bespoke formulations and excipients are now required, with trehalose2, sucrose or polymers3 widely used, which stabilize proteins by replacing surface water molecules and thereby make denaturation thermodynamically less likely; this has enabled both freeze-dried proteins and frozen proteins. For example, the human papilloma virus vaccine requires aluminium salt adjuvants to function, but these render it unstable against freeze-thaw4, leading to a very complex and expensive supply chain. Other ideas involve ensilication5 and chemical modification of proteins6. In short, protein stabilization is a challenge with no universal solution7,8. Here we designed a stiff hydrogel that stabilizes proteins against thermal denaturation even at 50 °C, and that can, unlike present technologies, deliver pure, excipient-free protein by mechanically releasing it from a syringe. Macromolecules can be loaded at up to 10 wt% without affecting the mechanism of release. This unique stabilization and excipient-free release synergy offers a practical, scalable and versatile solution to enable the low-cost, cold-chain-free and equitable delivery of therapies worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Bianco
- Department of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Muhammad Hasan
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Ashfaq Ahmad
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Sarah-Jane Richards
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Bart Dietrich
- Department of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Matthew Wallace
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Qiao Tang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Andrew J Smith
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK
| | - Matthew I Gibson
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Dave J Adams
- Department of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
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7
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Veronese E, Metrangolo P, Dichiarante V. Engineering Amino Acid and Peptide Supramolecular Architectures through Fluorination. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202400617. [PMID: 38634399 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Fluorinated non-natural amino acids are attracting considerable research interest, especially in the biomedical field and in materials science, thanks to their ability to self-assemble into peculiar supramolecular structures. The conformational changes induced by the presence of fluorine atoms obviously affect their functions, as well as the biological activity of the deriving peptides and proteins. Here, we will briefly describe the main effects of fluorination on the aggregation behavior of such building blocks, focusing in particular on their improved tendency to form fibrils, and gels therefrom. Our aim is to underline the promising potential of fluorination as a tool to affect the self-assembly features of amino acids, both when used alone and when inserted into polypeptide sequences. The ability of fluorine to influence physical, chemical, and structural properties of these substrates offers the possibility to engineer bioinspired materials with specific and tunable functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Veronese
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via L. Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Pierangelo Metrangolo
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via L. Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Dichiarante
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via L. Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
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8
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Kashyap S, Pal VK, Mohanty S, Roy S. Exploring a Solvent Dependent Strategy to Control Self-Assembling Behavior and Cellular Interaction in Laminin-Mimetic Short Peptide based Supramolecular Hydrogels. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202300835. [PMID: 38390634 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Self-assembled hydrogels, fabricated through diverse non-covalent interactions, have been extensively studied in regenerative medicines. Inspired from bioactive functional motifs of ECM protein, short peptide sequences have shown remarkable abilities to replicate the intrinsic features of the natural extracellular milieu. In this direction, we have fabricated two short hydrophobic bioactive sequences derived from the laminin protein i. e., IKVAV and YIGSR. Based on the substantial hydrophobicity of these peptides, we selected a co-solvent approach as a suitable gelation technique that included different concentrations of DMSO as an organic phase along with an aqueous solution containing 0.1 % TFA. These hydrophobic laminin-based bioactive peptides with limited solubility in aqueous physiological environment showed significantly enhanced solubility with higher DMSO content in water. The enhanced solubility resulted in extensive intermolecular interactions that led to the formation of hydrogels with a higher-order entangled network along with improved mechanical properties. Interestingly, by simply modulating DMSO content, highly tunable gels were accessed in the same gelator domain that displayed differential physicochemical properties. Further, the cellular studies substantiated the potential of these laminin-derived hydrogels in enhancing cell-matrix interactions, thereby reinforcing their applications in tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shambhavi Kashyap
- Chemical Biology Unit, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Sector-81, Knowledge City Mohali, Punjab,140306, India
| | - Vijay Kumar Pal
- Chemical Biology Unit, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Sector-81, Knowledge City Mohali, Punjab,140306, India
| | - Sweta Mohanty
- Chemical Biology Unit, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Sector-81, Knowledge City Mohali, Punjab,140306, India
| | - Sangita Roy
- Chemical Biology Unit, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Sector-81, Knowledge City Mohali, Punjab,140306, India
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9
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Klawa SJ, Lee M, Riker KD, Jian T, Wang Q, Gao Y, Daly ML, Bhonge S, Childers WS, Omosun TO, Mehta AK, Lynn DG, Freeman R. Uncovering supramolecular chirality codes for the design of tunable biomaterials. Nat Commun 2024; 15:788. [PMID: 38278785 PMCID: PMC10817930 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45019-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In neurodegenerative diseases, polymorphism and supramolecular assembly of β-sheet amyloids are implicated in many different etiologies and may adopt either a left- or right-handed supramolecular chirality. Yet, the underlying principles of how sequence regulates supramolecular chirality remains unknown. Here, we characterize the sequence specificity of the central core of amyloid-β 42 and design derivatives which enable chirality inversion at biologically relevant temperatures. We further find that C-terminal modifications can tune the energy barrier of a left-to-right chiral inversion. Leveraging this design principle, we demonstrate how temperature-triggered chiral inversion of peptides hosting therapeutic payloads modulates the dosed release of an anticancer drug. These results suggest a generalizable approach for fine-tuning supramolecular chirality that can be applied in developing treatments to regulate amyloid morphology in neurodegeneration as well as in other disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Klawa
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Michelle Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Kyle D Riker
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Tengyue Jian
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Broad Pharm, San Diego, California, 92121, USA
| | - Qunzhao Wang
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Yuan Gao
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Margaret L Daly
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Shreeya Bhonge
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - W Seth Childers
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Tolulope O Omosun
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- U.S. Department of Justice, Chicago, IL, 60603, USA
| | - Anil K Mehta
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - David G Lynn
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
| | - Ronit Freeman
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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10
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Wang Y, Rencus-Lazar S, Zhou H, Yin Y, Jiang X, Cai K, Gazit E, Ji W. Bioinspired Amino Acid Based Materials in Bionanotechnology: From Minimalistic Building Blocks and Assembly Mechanism to Applications. ACS NANO 2024; 18:1257-1288. [PMID: 38157317 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c08183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Inspired by natural hierarchical self-assembly of proteins and peptides, amino acids, as the basic building units, have been shown to self-assemble to form highly ordered structures through supramolecular interactions. The fabrication of functional biomaterials comprised of extremely simple biomolecules has gained increasing interest due to the advantages of biocompatibility, easy functionalization, and structural modularity. In particular, amino acid based assemblies have shown attractive physical characteristics for various bionanotechnology applications. Herein, we propose a review paper to summarize the design strategies as well as research advances of amino acid based supramolecular assemblies as smart functional materials. We first briefly introduce bioinspired reductionist design strategies and assembly mechanism for amino acid based molecular assembly materials through noncovalent interactions in condensed states, including self-assembly, metal ion mediated coordination assembly, and coassembly. In the following part, we provide an overview of the properties and functions of amino acid based materials toward applications in nanotechnology and biomedicine. Finally, we give an overview of the remaining challenges and future perspectives on the fabrication of amino acid based supramolecular biomaterials with desired properties. We believe that this review will promote the prosperous development of innovative bioinspired functional materials formed by minimalistic building blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuehui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, People's Republic of China
| | - Sigal Rencus-Lazar
- School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Haoran Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Yin
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuemei Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, People's Republic of China
| | - Kaiyong Cai
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, People's Republic of China
| | - Ehud Gazit
- School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Wei Ji
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, People's Republic of China
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11
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Smith DK. Supramolecular gels - a panorama of low-molecular-weight gelators from ancient origins to next-generation technologies. SOFT MATTER 2023; 20:10-70. [PMID: 38073497 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01301d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Supramolecular gels, self-assembled from low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs), have a long history and a bright future. This review provides an overview of these materials, from their use in lubrication and personal care in the ancient world, through to next-generation technologies. In academic terms, colloid scientists in the 19th and early 20th centuries first understood such gels as being physically assembled as a result of weak interactions, combining a solid-like network having a degree of crystalline order with a highly mobile liquid-like phase. During the 20th century, industrial scientists began using these materials in new applications in the polymer, oil and food industries. The advent of supramolecular chemistry in the late 20th century, with its focus on non-covalent interactions and controlled self-assembly, saw the horizons for these materials shifted significantly beyond their historic rheological applications, expanding their potential. The ability to tune the LMWG chemical structure, manipulate hierarchical assembly, develop multi-component systems, and introduce new types of responsive and interactive behaviour, has been transformative. Furthermore, the dynamics of these materials are increasingly understood, creating metastable gels and transiently-fueled systems. New approaches to shaping and patterning gels are providing a unique opportunity for more sophisticated uses. These supramolecular advances are increasingly underpinning and informing next-generation applications - from drug delivery and regenerative medicine to environmental remediation and sustainable energy. In summary, this article presents a panorama over the field of supramolecular gels, emphasising how both academic and industrial scientists are building on the past, and engaging new fundamental insights and innovative concepts to open up exciting horizons for their future use.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K Smith
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
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12
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Hansda B, Mondal B, Hazra S, Das KS, Castelletto V, Hamley IW, Banerjee A. Effect of molar ratio and concentration on the rheological properties of two-component supramolecular hydrogels: tuning of the morphological and drug releasing behaviour. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:8264-8273. [PMID: 37869972 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00883e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembled supramolecular hydrogels offer great potential as biomaterials and drug delivery systems. Specifically, peptide-based multicomponent hydrogels are promising materials due to their advantage that their mechanical and physical properties can be tuned to enhance their functionalities and broaden their applications. Herein, we report two-component assembly and formation of hydrogels containing inexpensive complementary anionic, BUVV-OH (A), and cationic, KFFC12 (B), peptide amphiphiles. Individually, neither of these components formed a hydrogel, while mixtures with compositions 1 : 1, 1 : 2, and 2 : 1 (molar ratio) as A : B show hydrogel formation (Milli-Q water, at pH = 6.79). These hydrogels displayed a good shear-thinning behaviour with different mechanical stabilities and nano-fibrous network structures. The 1 : 1 hydrogel shows good cell viability for human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells and CHO cells indicating its non-cytotoxicity. The biocompatible, thixotropic 1 : 1 hydrogel with a nanofiber network structure shows the highest mechanical strength with a storage modulus of 3.4 × 103 Pa. The hydrogel is able to encapsulate drugs including antibiotics amoxicillin and rifampicin, and anticancer drug doxorubicin, and it exhibits sustainable release of 76%, 70%, and 81% respectively in vitro after 3 days. The other two mixtures (composition 1 : 2 and 2 : 1) are unable to form a hydrogel when they are loaded with these drugs. Interestingly, it is noticed that with an increase in concentration, the mechanical strength of a 1 : 1 hydrogel is significantly enhanced, showing potential that may act as a scaffold for tissue engineering. The two-component gel offers tunable mechanical properties, thixotropy, injectability, and biocompatibility and has great potential as a scaffold for sustained drug release and tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biswanath Hansda
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032, India.
| | - Biplab Mondal
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032, India.
| | - Soumyajit Hazra
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032, India.
| | - Krishna Sundar Das
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032, India
| | | | - Ian W Hamley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AD, UK
| | - Arindam Banerjee
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032, India.
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13
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Chen YK, Simon IA, Maslov I, Oyarce-Pino IE, Kulkarni K, Hopper D, Aguilar MI, Vankadari N, Broughton BR, Del Borgo MP. A switch in N-terminal capping of β-peptides creates novel self-assembled nanoparticles. RSC Adv 2023; 13:29401-29407. [PMID: 37818265 PMCID: PMC10561372 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra04514e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Small tripeptides composed entirely of β3-amino acids have been shown to self-assemble into fibres following acylation of the N-terminus. Given the use of Fmoc as a strategy to initiate self-assembly in α-peptides, we hypothesized that the acyl cap can be replaced by an Fmoc without perturbation to the self-assembly and enable simpler synthetic protocols. We therefore replaced the N-acyl cap for an Fmoc group and herein we show that these Fmoc-protected β3-peptides produce regular spherical particles, rather than fibrous structures, that are stable and capable of encapsulating cargo. We then demonstrated that these particles were able to deliver cargo to cells without any obvious signs of cytotoxicity. This is the first description of such regular nanoparticles derived from Fmoc-protected β3-peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Kai Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Isabella A Simon
- Department of Pharmacology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Ivan Maslov
- Department of Pharmacology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Ivan E Oyarce-Pino
- Department of Pharmacology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Ketav Kulkarni
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Denham Hopper
- Department of Pharmacology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Marie-Isabel Aguilar
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Naveen Vankadari
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia
| | - Brad Rs Broughton
- Department of Pharmacology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Mark P Del Borgo
- Department of Pharmacology, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
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14
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Veronese E, Pigliacelli C, Bergamaschi G, Terraneo G, Dichiarante V, Metrangolo P. Acid⋅⋅⋅Amide Supramolecular Synthon for Tuning Amino Acid-Based Hydrogels' Properties. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202301743. [PMID: 37435732 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202301743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Supramolecular hydrogels formed by the self-assembly of N-Fmoc-l-phenylalanine derivatives are gaining relevance for several applications in the materials and biomedical fields. In the challenging attempt to predict or tune their properties, we selected Fmoc-pentafluorophenylalanine (1) as a model efficient gelator, and studied its self-assembly in the presence of benzamide (2), a non-gelator able to form strong hydrogen bonds with the amino acid carboxylic group. Equimolar mixtures of 1 and 2 in organic solvents afforded a 1 : 1 co-crystal thanks to the formation of an acid⋅⋅⋅amide heterodimeric supramolecular synthon. The same synthon occurred in the transparent gels formed by mixing the two components in 1 : 1 ratio in aqueous media, as revealed by structural, spectroscopic, and thermal characterizations performed on both the co-crystal powder and the lyophilized hydrogel. These findings revealed the possibility of modulating the properties of amino acid-based hydrogels by involving the gelator in the formation of a co-crystal. Such a crystal engineering-based approach is shown also to be useful for the time-delayed release of suitable bioactive molecules, when involved as hydrogel coformers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Veronese
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Pigliacelli
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Greta Bergamaschi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" (SCITEC-CNR), National Research Council of Italy, via Mario Bianco 9, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Terraneo
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" (SCITEC-CNR), National Research Council of Italy, via Mario Bianco 9, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Dichiarante
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Pierangelo Metrangolo
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
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15
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Ma M, Wang T, Liu R, Jiang W, Niu Z, Bai M, Wu W, Hao A, Shang W. A novel green amino acid derivative hydrogel with multi-stimulus responsiveness. Colloid Polym Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00396-023-05095-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
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16
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Qian Q, Song J, Chen C, Pu Q, Liu X, Wang H. Recent advances in hydrogels for preventing tumor recurrence. Biomater Sci 2023; 11:2678-2692. [PMID: 36877511 DOI: 10.1039/d3bm00003f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Malignant tumors remain a high-risk disease with high mortality all over the world. Among all the cancer treatments, surgery is the primary approach in the clinical treatment of tumors. However, tumor invasion and metastasis pose challenges for complete tumor resection, accompanied by high recurrence rates and reduced quality of life. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore effective adjuvant therapies to prevent postoperative tumor recurrence and relieve the pain of the patients. Nowadays, the booming local drug delivery systems which can be applied as postoperative adjuvant therapies have aroused people's attention, along with the rapid development in the pharmaceutical and biological materials fields. Hydrogels are a kind of unique carrier with prominent biocompatibility among a variety of biomaterials. Due to their high similarity to human tissues, hydrogels which load drugs/growth factors can prevent rejection reactions and promote wound healing. In addition, hydrogels are able to cover the postoperative site and maintain sustained drug release for the prevention of tumor recurrence. In this review, we survey controlled drug delivery hydrogels such as implantable, injectable and sprayable formulations and summarize the properties required for hydrogels used as postoperative adjuvant therapies. The opportunities and challenges in the design and clinical application of these hydrogels are also elaborated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuhui Qian
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
| | - Jie Song
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
| | - Chen Chen
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
| | - Qian Pu
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
| | - Xingcheng Liu
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
| | - Huili Wang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
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17
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Ghosh S, Ghosh T, Bhowmik S, Patidar MK, Das AK. Nucleopeptide-Coupled Injectable Bioconjugated Guanosine-Quadruplex Hydrogel with Inherent Antibacterial Activity. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2023; 6:640-651. [PMID: 36706228 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The multicomponent reaction-directed self-assembled hydrogels offer the opportunities to fabricate materials with ubiquitous properties which sometimes are not possible to generate from single components. Therefore, multicomponent-derived hydrogels have enormous applications in biomedical fields, and the number of such systems is increasing day by day. Herein, the multicomponent self-assembly techniques have been employed to develop a biomimetic low-molecular-weight G-quadruplex hydrogel under physiological conditions. The bioconjugation of guanosine, 4-formylphenylboronic acid, and cytosine-functionalized nucleopeptide (NP) is important to generate the multicomponent self-assembled dynamic imino-boronate ester-mediated bioconjugated G-quadruplex hydrogels. Using thioflavin T fluorescence assay, powder X-ray diffraction, and circular dichroism spectroscopic techniques, we confirm the existence of a G-quartet-like structure as the key parameter for the formation of nanofibrillar hydrogels. The multicomponent self-assembled G-quadruplex hydrogel possesses excellent inherent antibacterial activity against a broad range of bacterial species. The in vitro cytocompatibility of the synthesized hydrogel was evaluated on MCF-7 and HEK 293T cell lines to study the biocompatibility of the hydrogel. The proposed injectable, biocompatible, and NP-coupled G-quadruplex hydrogel with inherent antibacterial efficiency holds promising importance to prevent localized bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruti Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552, India
| | - Tapas Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552, India
| | - Sourav Bhowmik
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552, India
| | - Mukesh K Patidar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552, India.,Department of Biosciences, Maharaja Ranjit Singh College of Professional Sciences, Indore 452001, India
| | - Apurba K Das
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552, India
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18
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Shinde SD, Kulkarni N, Sahu B. Synthesis and Investigation of Backbone Modified Squaramide Dipeptide Self-Assembly. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2023; 6:507-518. [PMID: 36716238 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Dipeptides are minimalistic peptide building blocks that form well ordered structures through molecular self-assembly. The driving forces involved are cooperative noncovalent interactions such as π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, and ionic as well as hydrophobic interactions. One of the most intriguing self-assembled motifs that has been extensively explored as a low molecular weight hydrogel for drug delivery, tissue engineering, imaging and techtonics, etc. is Phe-Phe (FF). The backbone of the dipeptide is very crucial for extending secondary structures in self-assembly, and any subtle change in the backbone drastically affect the molecular recognitions. The squaramide (SQ) motif has the unique advantage of hydrogen bonding which can promote the self-assembly process. In this work we have integrated the SQ unit into the dipeptide FF backbone to achieve molecular self-assembly. The resulting carbamate protected backbone modified dipeptide (BocFSAF-OH, 10) has exhibited molecular self-assembly with a fibrilar network. It formed a stable hydrogel (with CAC of 0.024 ± 0.0098 wt %) via the solvent switch method and was found to possess excellent enzymatic stability. The dipeptide and the resulting hydrogel were found to be cytocompatible. When integrated with a polysaccharide based biopolymer, e.g. sodium alginate, the resulting matrix exhibited strong hydrogel character. Therefore, the dipeptide hydrogel of 10 may find its applications in a variety of fields including drug delivery and tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suchita Dattatray Shinde
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380054, India
| | - Neeraj Kulkarni
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380054, India
| | - Bichismita Sahu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380054, India
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19
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Jagrosse M, Agredo P, Abraham BL, Toriki ES, Nilsson BL. Supramolecular Phenylalanine-Derived Hydrogels for the Sustained Release of Functional Proteins. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:784-796. [PMID: 36693219 PMCID: PMC9930093 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c01299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based therapeutics have emerged as next-generation pharmaceutical agents for oncology, bone regeneration, autoimmune disorders, viral infections, and other diseases. The clinical application of protein therapeutics has been impeded by pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic challenges including off-target toxicity, rapid clearance, and drug stability. Strategies for the localized and sustained delivery of protein therapeutics have shown promise in addressing these challenges. Hydrogels are critical materials that enable these delivery strategies. Supramolecular hydrogels composed of self-assembled materials have demonstrated biocompatibility advantages over polymer hydrogels, with peptide and protein-based gels showing strong potential. However, cost is a significant drawback of peptide-based supramolecular hydrogels. Supramolecular hydrogels composed of inexpensive low-molecular-weight (LMW) gelators, including modified amino acid derivatives, have been reported as viable alternatives to peptide-based materials. Herein, we report the encapsulation and release of proteins from supramolecular hydrogels composed of perfluorinated fluorenylmethyloxcarbonyl-modified phenylalanine (Fmoc-F5-Phe-DAP). Specifically, we demonstrate release of four model proteins (ribonuclease A (RNase A), trypsin inhibitor (TI), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and human immunoglobulin G (IgG)) from these hydrogels. The emergent viscoelastic properties of these materials are characterized, and the functional and time-dependent release of proteins from the hydrogels is demonstrated. In addition, it is shown that the properties of the aqueous solution used for hydrogel formulation have a significant influence on the in vitro release profiles, as a function of the isoelectric point and molecular weight of the protein payloads. These studies collectively validate that this class of supramolecular LMW hydrogel possesses the requisite properties for the sustained and localized release of protein therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa
L. Jagrosse
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York14627, United States
| | - Pamela Agredo
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York14627, United States
| | - Brittany L. Abraham
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York14627, United States
| | - Ethan S. Toriki
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York14627, United States
| | - Bradley L. Nilsson
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York14627, United States,Materials
Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York14627, United States,. Tel: +1 585 276-3053
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20
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Noteborn WM, Vittala SK, Torredemer MB, Maity C, Versluis F, Eelkema R, Kieltyka RE. Switching the Mode of Drug Release from a Reaction-Coupled Low-Molecular-Weight Gelator System by Altering Its Reaction Pathway. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:377-386. [PMID: 36562759 PMCID: PMC9832487 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c01197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Low-molecular-weight hydrogels are attractive scaffolds for drug delivery applications because of their modular and facile preparation starting from inexpensive molecular components. The molecular design of the hydrogelator results in a commitment to a particular release strategy, where either noncovalent or covalent bonding of the drug molecule dictates its rate and mechanism. Herein, we demonstrate an alternative approach using a reaction-coupled gelator to tune drug release in a facile and user-defined manner by altering the reaction pathway of the low-molecular-weight gelator (LMWG) and drug components through an acylhydrazone-bond-forming reaction. We show that an off-the-shelf drug with a reactive handle, doxorubicin, can be covalently bound to the gelator through its ketone moiety when the addition of the aldehyde component is delayed from 0 to 24 h, or noncovalently bound with its addition at 0 h. We also examine the use of an l-histidine methyl ester catalyst to prepare the drug-loaded hydrogels under physiological conditions. Fitting of the drug release profiles with the Korsmeyer-Peppas model corroborates a switch in the mode of release consistent with the reaction pathway taken: increased covalent ligation drives a transition from a Fickian to a semi-Fickian mode in the second stage of release with a decreased rate. Sustained release of doxorubicin from the reaction-coupled hydrogel is further confirmed in an MTT toxicity assay with MCF-7 breast cancer cells. We demonstrate the modularity and ease of the reaction-coupled approach to prepare drug-loaded self-assembled hydrogels in situ with tunable mechanics and drug release profiles that may find eventual applications in macroscale drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem
E. M. Noteborn
- Supramolecular
and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RALeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sandeepa K. Vittala
- Supramolecular
and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RALeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Broto Torredemer
- Supramolecular
and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RALeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Chandan Maity
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Delft University
of Technology, Van der
Maasweg 9, 2629 HZDelft, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Versluis
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Delft University
of Technology, Van der
Maasweg 9, 2629 HZDelft, The Netherlands
| | - Rienk Eelkema
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Delft University
of Technology, Van der
Maasweg 9, 2629 HZDelft, The Netherlands
| | - Roxanne E. Kieltyka
- Supramolecular
and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RALeiden, The Netherlands,
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21
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Kumar D, Dua K, Tiwari S. Localized Delivery of Bioactives using Structured Liposomal Gels. Curr Pharm Des 2023; 29:3206-3220. [PMID: 37974442 DOI: 10.2174/0113816128263001231102053654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Liposomes have gained a lot of interest for drug delivery applications, and some of these preparations have been commercialized. These are formulated with biocompatible components and can be used for delivering a wide range of payloads differing in aqueous solubility and molecular weight. Liposome-based delivery approaches are limited mainly by two factors: (a) poor dispersion stability, and (b) pre-mature leakage of payloads. In this review, we have discussed the stabilization of liposomal vesicles by their entrapment in hydrogels. Studies reveal that such hydrogels can maintain the structural integrity of liposomes. Release of liposomes from the hydrogel network can be modulated through careful screening of matrix former and degree of its cross-linking. Accordingly, we have reviewed the approaches of stabilizing liposomal vesicles through entrapment in hydrogels. Application of liposome-embedded hydrogels has been reviewed in context of localized drug delivery. Our discussion is focussed on the delivery of bioactives to the skin. Such an approach appears alluring from the standpoint of minimizing the undesirable distribution of payload(s) the systemic circulation and off-target sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) - Raebareli, Lucknow 226002, India
| | - Kamal Dua
- Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Sanjay Tiwari
- Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) - Raebareli, Lucknow 226002, India
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22
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Abraham B, Agredo P, Mensah SG, Nilsson BL. Anion Effects on the Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Cationic Phenylalanine Derivatives. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:15494-15505. [PMID: 36473193 PMCID: PMC9776537 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Supramolecular hydrogels have emerged as a class of promising biomaterials for applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering. Self-assembling peptides have been well studied for such applications, but low molecular weight (LMW) amino acid-derived gelators have attracted interest as low-cost alternatives with similar emergent properties. Fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-phenylalanine (Fmoc-Phe) is one such privileged motif often chosen due to its inherent self-assembly potential. Previously, we developed cationic Fmoc-Phe-DAP gelators that assemble into hydrogel networks in aqueous NaCl solutions of sufficient ionic strength. The chloride anions in these solutions screen the cationic charge of the gelators to enable self-assembly to occur. Herein, we report the effects of varying the anions of sodium salts on the gelation potential, nanoscale morphology, and hydrogel viscoelastic properties of Fmoc-Phe-DAP and two of its fluorinated derivatives, Fmoc-3F-Phe-DAP and Fmoc-F5-Phe-DAP. It was observed that both the anion identity and gelator structure had a significant impact on the self-assembly and gelation properties of these derivatives. Changing the anion identity resulted in significant polymorphism of the nanoscale morphology of the assembled states that was dependent on the chemical structure of the gelator. The emergent viscoelastic character of the hydrogel networks was also found to be reliant on the anion identity and gelator structure. These results demonstrate the complex interplay between the gelator and environment that have a profound and often unpredictable impact on both self-assembly properties and emergent viscoelasticity in supramolecular hydrogels formed by LMW compounds. This work also illustrates the current lack of understanding that limits the rational design of potential biomaterials that will be in contact with complex biological fluids and provides motivation for additional research to correlate the chemical structure of LMW gelators with the structure and emergent properties of the resulting supramolecular assemblies as a function of environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany
L. Abraham
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Pamela Agredo
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Samantha G. Mensah
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Bradley L. Nilsson
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
- Materials
Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0166, United States
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23
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Fluorinated Protein and Peptide Materials for Biomedical Applications. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15101201. [PMID: 36297312 PMCID: PMC9609677 DOI: 10.3390/ph15101201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluorination represents one of the most powerful modern design strategies to impart biomacromolecules with unique functionality, empowering them for widespread application in the biomedical realm. However, the properties of fluorinated protein materials remain unpredictable due to the heavy context-dependency of the surrounding atoms influenced by fluorine’s strong electron-withdrawing tendencies. This review aims to discern patterns and elucidate design principles governing the biochemical synthesis and rational installation of fluorine into protein and peptide sequences for diverse biomedical applications. Several case studies are presented to deconvolute the overgeneralized fluorous stabilization effect and critically examine the duplicitous nature of the resultant enhanced chemical and thermostability as it applies to use as biomimetic therapeutics, drug delivery vehicles, and bioimaging modalities.
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24
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Short Peptide-Based Smart Thixotropic Hydrogels †. Gels 2022; 8:gels8090569. [PMID: 36135280 PMCID: PMC9498505 DOI: 10.3390/gels8090569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Thixotropy is a fascinating feature present in many gel systems that has garnered a lot of attention in the medical field in recent decades. When shear stress is applied, the gel transforms into sol and immediately returns to its original state when resting. The thixotropic nature of the hydrogel has inspired scientists to entrap and release enzymes, therapeutics, and other substances inside the human body, where the gel acts as a drug reservoir and can sustainably release therapeutics. Furthermore, thixotropic hydrogels have been widely used in various therapeutic applications, including drug delivery, cornea regeneration and osteogenesis, to name a few. Because of their inherent biocompatibility and structural diversity, peptides are at the forefront of cutting-edge research in this context. This review will discuss the rational design and self-assembly of peptide-based thixotropic hydrogels with some representative examples, followed by their biomedical applications.
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25
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Wei J, Lin M, Fu X, Sun J. Hybrid Hydrogels from Nongelling Polymers Using a Fibrous Peptide Hydrogelator at Low Concentrations. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:10305-10312. [PMID: 35960930 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nature-made hydrogels typically combine a wide range of multiscale fibers into biological composite networks, which offer an adaptive property. Inspired by nature, we report a facile approach to construct hybrid hydrogels from a range of natural or commercially available synthetic nongelling polymers (e.g., poly(ethylene glycol), poly(acrylic acid), carboxylated cellulose nanocrystal, and sodium alginate) at a concentration as low as 0.53 wt % using a nonionic fibrous peptide hydrogelator. Through simply mixing the peptide hydrogelator with a polymer aqueous solution, stable hybrid hydrogels can be formed with the concentration of hydrogelator at ∼0.05 wt %. The gel strength of the resulting hydrogels can be effectively modulated by the concentration, molecular weight, and terminal group of the polymer. We further demonstrate that the molecular interactions between the peptide hydrogelator and the polymer are very crucial for the formation of hybrid hydrogel, which synergically induce the gelation at considerably low concentrations. A peptide hydrogelator can be easily obtained by aminolysis of alkyl-oilgo(γ-benzyl-l-glutamate) samples. Live/Dead assays indicate low cytotoxicity of the hybrid hydrogel toward HeLa cells. Combining the low-cost, scalable synthesis, and biocompatibility, the prepared peptide hydrogelator presents a potential candidate to expand the scope of polymer hydrogels for biomedical applications and also shows considerable commercial significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jirui Wei
- Key Laboratory of Biobased Polymer Materials, Shandong Provincial Education Department; College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
| | - Min Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xiaohui Fu
- Key Laboratory of Biobased Polymer Materials, Shandong Provincial Education Department; College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
| | - Jing Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
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26
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Abraham BL, Mensah SG, Gwinnell BR, Nilsson BL. Side-chain halogen effects on self-assembly and hydrogelation of cationic phenylalanine derivatives. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:5999-6008. [PMID: 35920399 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00713d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Low molecular weight (LMW) supramolecular hydrogels have great potential as next-generation biomaterials for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. The design of LMW gelators is complicated by the lack of understanding regarding how the chemical structure of the gelator correlates to self-assembly potential and emergent hydrogel material properties. The fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-phenylalanine (Fmoc-Phe) motif is a privileged scaffold that is prone to undergo self-assembly into self-supporting hydrogel networks. Cationic Fmoc-Phe-DAP derivatives modified with diaminopropane (DAP) at the C-terminus have been developed that self-assemble into hydrogel networks in aqueous solutions of sufficient ionic strength. We report herein the impact of side-chain halogenation on the self-assembly and hydrogelation properties of Fmoc-Phe-DAP derivatives. A systematic study of the self-assembly and hydrogelation of monohalogenated Fmoc-Phe-DAP derivatives with F, Cl, or Br atoms in the ortho, meta, or para positions of the phenyl side chain reveal significant differences in self-assembly and gelation potential, nanoscale assembly morphology, and hydrogel viscoelastic properties as a function of halogen identity and substitution position. These results demonstrate the profound impact that subtle changes to the chemical scaffold can have on the behavior of LMW supramolecular gelators and illustrate the ongoing difficulty of predicting the emergent self-assembly and hydrogelation behavior of LMW gelators that differ even modestly in chemical structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Abraham
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - Samantha G Mensah
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | | | - Bradley L Nilsson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
- Materials Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
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27
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Dhawan S, Singh H, Dutta S, Haridas V. Designer peptides as versatile building blocks for functional materials. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2022; 68:128733. [PMID: 35421579 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Peptides and pseudopeptides show distinct self-assembled nanostructures such as fibers, nanotubes, vesicles, micelles, toroids, helices and rods. The formation of such molecular communities through the collective behavior of molecules is not fully understood at a molecular level. All these self-assembled nanostructured materials have a wide range of applications such as drug delivery, gene delivery, biosensing, bioimaging, catalysis, tissue engineering, nano-electronics and sensing. Self-assembly is one of the most efficient and a simple strategy to generate complex functional materials. Owing to its significance, the last few decades witnessed a remarkable advancement in the field of self-assembling peptides with a plethora of new designer synthetic systems being discovered. These systems range from amphiphilic, cyclic, linear and polymeric peptides. This article presents only selected examples of such self-assembling peptides and pseudopeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameer Dhawan
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Hanuman Singh
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Souvik Dutta
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - V Haridas
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India.
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28
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Al-Qahtani SD, Snari RM, Bayazeed A, Alnoman RB, Hossan A, Alsoliemy A, El-Metwaly NM. Synthesis, characterization and self-assembly of novel fluorescent alkoxy-substituted 1, 4-diarylated 1, 2, 3-triazoles organogelators. ARAB J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.103874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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29
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Saji VS. Recent Updates on Supramolecular-Based Drug Delivery - Macrocycles and Supramolecular Gels. CHEM REC 2022; 22:e202200053. [PMID: 35510981 DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202200053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Supramolecules-based drug delivery has attracted significant recent research attention as it could enhance drug solubility, retention time, targeting, and stimuli responsiveness. Among the different supramolecules and assemblies, the macrocycles and the supramolecular hydrogels are the two important categories investigated to a greater extent. Here, we provide the most recent advancements in these categories. Under macrocycles, reports on drug delivery by cyclodextrins, cucurbiturils, calixarenes/pillararenes, crown ethers and porphyrins are detailed. The second category discusses the supramolecular hydrogels of macrocycles/polymers and low molecular weight gelators. The updated information provided could be helpful to advance R & D in this vital area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viswanathan S Saji
- Interdisciplinary Research Center for Advanced Materials, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia
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30
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Omar J, Ponsford D, Dreiss CA, Lee TC, Loh XJ. Supramolecular Hydrogels: Design Strategies and Contemporary Biomedical Applications. Chem Asian J 2022; 17:e202200081. [PMID: 35304978 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202200081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Self-assembly of supramolecular hydrogels is driven by dynamic, non-covalent interactions between molecules. Considerable research effort has been exerted to fabricate and optimise supramolecular hydrogels that display shear-thinning, self-healing, and reversibility, in order to develop materials for biomedical applications. This review provides a detailed overview of the chemistry behind the dynamic physicochemical interactions that sustain hydrogel formation (hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, ionic interactions, metal-ligand coordination, and host-guest interactions). Novel design strategies and methodologies to create supramolecular hydrogels are highlighted, which offer promise for a wide range of applications, specifically drug delivery, wound healing, tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting. To conclude, future prospects are briefly discussed, and consideration given to the steps required to ultimately bring these biomaterials into clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Omar
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH, London, UK.,Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Daniel Ponsford
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.,Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK.,Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Cécile A Dreiss
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH, London, UK
| | - Tung-Chun Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK.,Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Xian Jun Loh
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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31
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Zhai Z, Ye S, Song Z, Shang S, Song J. Novel Temperature-Responsive Rosin-Derived Supramolecular Hydrogels Constructed by New Semicircular Aggregates. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2022; 70:2280-2289. [PMID: 35142497 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A highly water-soluble rosin-based surfactant (C14-MPA-Na) was synthesized. Novel temperature-responsive supramolecular hydrogels were further prepared using C14-MPA-Na. The microstructure and the mechanical properties of the hydrogels were investigated. Unexpectedly, instead of the long one-dimensional structure, a new kind of twisted semicircular aggregate was formed in the hydrogels, which was rarely reported. Besides, the hydrogels possessed excellent shear-recovery properties. Upon heating to 40 °C, the hydrogels transformed into viscoelastic solutions, which were constructed by worm-like micelles. By adjusting the temperature, the hydrogels and the viscoelastic solutions could be freely transformed. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to further explore the possible self-assembly mechanism of C14-MPA-Na. The curved alkane chain which partially overlapped with rosin's rigid skeleton became stretched when heated to 40 °C. The introduction of the rosin rigid skeleton endowed the supramolecular hydrogels with a novel microstructure and contributed to the development of strategies for the utilization of forest resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaolan Zhai
- Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Province; Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province; Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration; National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Shengfeng Ye
- Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Province; Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province; Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration; National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhanqian Song
- Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Province; Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province; Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration; National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Shibin Shang
- Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Province; Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province; Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration; National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jie Song
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Michigan-Flint, Flint, Michigan 48502, United States
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32
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Ghosh S, Nag S, Saha KD, Banerji B. S-Benzyl Cysteine Based Cyclic Dipeptide Super Hydrogelator: Enhancing Efficacy of an Anticancer Drug via Sustainable Release. J Pept Sci 2022; 28:e3403. [PMID: 35001443 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Peptide based low molecular weight supramolecular hydrogels hold promising aspects in various fields of application especially in biomaterial and biomedical sciences such as drug delivery, wound healing, tissue engineering, cell proliferation, etc due to their extreme biocompatibility. Unlike linear peptides, cyclic peptides have more structural rigidity and tolerance to enzymatic degradation and high environmental stability which make them even better candidates for the above said applications. Herein, a new small cyclic dipeptide (CDP) cyclo-(Leu-S-Bzl-Cys) (P1) consisting of L-leucine and S-benzyl protected L-cysteine was reported which formed hydrogel at physiological conditions (at 37o C and pH=7.46). The hydrogel formed from the cyclic dipeptide P1 showed very good tolerance towards environmental parameters such as pH, temperature and was seen to be stable for more than a year without any deformation. The hydrogel was thermoreversible and stable in the pH range 6-12. Mechanical strength of P1 hydrogel was measured by rheology experiment. AFM and FE-SEM images revealed that in aqueous solvents P1 self-assembled into a highly cross-linked nanofibrillar network which immobilized water molecules inside the cages and formed the hydrogel. The self-assembled cyclic dipeptide acquired antiparallel β-sheet secondary structure which was evident from CD and FT-IR studies. The β-sheet arrangement and formation of amyloid fibrils were further established by ThT binding assay. Furthermore, P1 was able to form hydrogel in presence of anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and sustainable release of the drug from the hydrogel was measured in-vitro. The hydrogelator P1 showed almost no cytotoxicity towards human colorectal cancer cell line HCT116 up to a considerable high concentration and showed potential application in sustainable drug delivery. The co-assembly of 5FU and P1 hydrogel exhibited much better anticancer activity towards HCT116 cancer cell line than 5-fluorouracil alone and decreased the IC50 dose of 5-fluorouracil to a much lower value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saswati Ghosh
- Organic & Medicinal Chemistry Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), Kolkata, India
| | - Sayoni Nag
- Cancer Biology & Inflammatory Disorder, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), Kolkata, India
| | - Krishna Das Saha
- Cancer Biology & Inflammatory Disorder, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), Kolkata, India
| | - Biswadip Banerji
- Organic & Medicinal Chemistry Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), Kolkata, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), Kolkata, India
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33
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Sonker M, Bajpai S, Khan MA, Yu X, Tiwary SK, Shreyash N. Review of Recent Advances and Their Improvement in the Effectiveness of Hydrogel-Based Targeted Drug Delivery: A Hope for Treating Cancer. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2021; 4:8080-8109. [PMID: 35005919 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c00857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Using hydrogels for delivering cancer therapeutics is advantageous in pharmaceutical usage as they have an edge over traditional delivery, which is tainted due to the risk of toxicity that it imbues. Hydrogel usage leads to the development of a more controlled drug release system owing to its amenability for structural metamorphosis, its higher porosity to seat the drug molecules, and its ability to shield the drug from denaturation. The thing that makes its utility even more enhanced is that they make themselves more recognizable to the body tissues and hence can stay inside the body for a longer time, enhancing the efficiency of the delivery, which otherwise is negatively affected since the drug is identified by the human immunity as a foreign substance, and thus, an attack of the immunity begins on the drug injected. A variety of hydrogels such as thermosensitive, pH-sensitive, and magnetism-responsive hydrogels have been included and their potential usage in drug delivery has been discussed in this review that aims to present recent studies on hydrogels that respond to alterations under a variety of circumstances in "reducing" situations that mimic the microenvironment of cancerous cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muskan Sonker
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
| | - Sushant Bajpai
- Department of Petroleum Engineering, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais, Amethi 229304, India
| | - Mohd Ashhar Khan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais, Amethi 229304, India
| | - Xiaojun Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, United States
| | - Saurabh Kr Tiwary
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais, Amethi 229304, India
| | - Nehil Shreyash
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais, Amethi 229304, India
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34
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Misra R, Rudnick-Glick S, Adler-Abramovich L. From Folding to Assembly: Functional Supramolecular Architectures of Peptides Comprised of Non-Canonical Amino Acids. Macromol Biosci 2021; 21:e2100090. [PMID: 34142442 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202100090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The engineering of biological molecules is the fundamental concept behind the design of complex materials with desirable functions. Over the last few decades, peptides and proteins have emerged as useful building blocks for well-defined nanostructures with controlled size and dimensions. Short peptides in particular have received much attention due to their inherent biocompatibility, lower synthetic cost, and ease of tunability. In addition to the diverse self-assembling properties of short peptides comprising coded amino acids and their emerging applications in nanotechnology, there is now growing interest in the properties of peptides composed of non-canonical amino acids. Such non-natural oligomers have been shown in recent years to form well-defined secondary structures similar to natural proteins, with the ability to self-assemble to generate a wide variety of nanostructures with excellent biostability. This review describes recent events in the development of supramolecular assemblies of peptides composed completely of non-coded amino acids and their hybrid analogues. Special attention is paid to understanding the supramolecular assemblies at the atomic level and to considering their potential applications in nanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajkumar Misra
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Safra Rudnick-Glick
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Lihi Adler-Abramovich
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
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35
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Webber MJ, Pashuck ET. (Macro)molecular self-assembly for hydrogel drug delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 172:275-295. [PMID: 33450330 PMCID: PMC8107146 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogels prepared via self-assembly offer scalable and tunable platforms for drug delivery applications. Molecular-scale self-assembly leverages an interplay of attractive and repulsive forces; drugs and other active molecules can be incorporated into such materials by partitioning in hydrophobic domains, affinity-mediated binding, or covalent integration. Peptides have been widely used as building blocks for self-assembly due to facile synthesis, ease of modification with bioactive molecules, and precise molecular-scale control over material properties through tunable interactions. Additional opportunities are manifest in stimuli-responsive self-assembly for more precise drug action. Hydrogels can likewise be fabricated from macromolecular self-assembly, with both synthetic polymers and biopolymers used to prepare materials with controlled mechanical properties and tunable drug release. These include clinical approaches for solubilization and delivery of hydrophobic drugs. To further enhance mechanical properties of hydrogels prepared through self-assembly, recent work has integrated self-assembly motifs with polymeric networks. For example, double-network hydrogels capture the beneficial properties of both self-assembled and covalent networks. The expanding ability to fabricate complex and precise materials, coupled with an improved understanding of biology, will lead to new classes of hydrogels specifically tailored for drug delivery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Webber
- University of Notre Dame, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
| | - E Thomas Pashuck
- Lehigh University, Department of Bioengineering, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA.
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36
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Kumar A, Nutan B, Jewrajka SK. Modulation of Properties through Covalent Bond Induced Formation of Strong Ion Pairing between Polyelectrolytes in Injectable Conetwork Hydrogels. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2021; 4:3374-3387. [PMID: 35014422 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c01673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In situ simultaneous formation of both covalent linkages and ion pair is challenging yet necessary to control the biological properties of a hydrogel. We report that the generation of covalent linkages (+N-C) facilitates the simultaneous formation of ion pairs between polyelectrolytes (PEs) in a hydrogel network. Co-injection of tertiary amine functional macromolecules and reactive poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) containing negatively charged PE leads to the formation of hydrogel conetworks consisting of covalent junctions and ion pairs. Our design is based on the gradual appearance of +N-C junctions followed by formation of ion pairs. This strategy provides an easy access to hydrogel networks bearing a predetermined proportion of ion pair and covalent cross-linking junction. The proportion of ion pair could be varied by introducing a precalculated proportion of mono- and difunctional reactive PEG in the hydrogel system. The topology of the prepolymer and the hydrogel could be modulated (graft) during hydrogel formation. This approach is applicable to obtain covalent/ionic, covalent bond induced purely ionic, and purely covalent hydrogels of several macromolecular entities. The effect of ion pairing in the hydrogels is strongly reflected in the modulus, strain bearing, degradation, free volume, swelling, and drug release properties. The hydrogels exhibit microscopic recovery of modulus after application of high amplitude strain depending on the prepolymer concentration (chain entanglement) and nature of hydrogel network. The hydrogels are hemocompatible, and the covalent/ionic hydrogels show a slower release of methotrexate than that of the purely covalent hydrogel. This work provides an understanding for the in situ construction and manipulation of biological properties of hydrogels through the covalent bond induced formation of a strong ion pair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Kumar
- Membrane Science and Separation Technology Division, Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), G.B. Marg, Bhavnagar, Gujarat 364002, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Bhingaradiya Nutan
- Membrane Science and Separation Technology Division, Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), G.B. Marg, Bhavnagar, Gujarat 364002, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Suresh K Jewrajka
- Membrane Science and Separation Technology Division, Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), G.B. Marg, Bhavnagar, Gujarat 364002, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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37
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Ravarino P, Giuri D, Faccio D, Tomasini C. Designing a Transparent and Fluorine Containing Hydrogel. Gels 2021; 7:43. [PMID: 33918097 PMCID: PMC8167729 DOI: 10.3390/gels7020043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Physical hydrogels are supramolecular materials obtained by self-assembly of small molecules called gelators. Aromatic amino acids and small peptides containing aromatic rings are good candidates as gelators due to their ability to form weak bonds as π-π interactions and hydrogen bonds between NH and CO of the peptide chain. In this paper we show our results in the preparation of a transparent hydrogel that was obtained by self-assembly of a fluorine-containing dipeptide that relies on the additional formation of halogen bonds due to the fluorine atoms contained in the dipeptide. We used Boc-D-F2Phe-L-Oxd-OH (F2Phe = 3,4-difluorophenylalainine; Oxd = 4-methyl-5-carboxy-oxazolidin-2-one) that formed a strong and transparent hydrogel in 0.5% w/w concentration at pH = 4.2. The formation of a hydrogel made of unnatural fluorinated amino acids may be of great interest in the evaluation of patients with parkinsonian syndromes and may be used for controlled release.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Claudia Tomasini
- Dipartimento di Chimica Giacomo Ciamician, Università di Bologna, Via Selmi, 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (P.R.); (D.G.); (D.F.)
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38
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Minakawa M, Nakagawa M, Wang KH, Imura Y, Kawai T. Homogeneous Helical Nanofibers of 12-Hydroxystearic Acid and Long-chain Amidoamine Derivatives Prepared by Tuning the Gelation Solvent. CHEM LETT 2021. [DOI: 10.1246/cl.200878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Muneharu Minakawa
- Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Makoto Nakagawa
- Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Ke-Hsuan Wang
- Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Yoshiro Imura
- Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kawai
- Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
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Sloand JN, Miller MA, Medina SH. Fluorinated peptide biomaterials. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2021; 113:e24184. [PMID: 34541446 PMCID: PMC8448251 DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Fluorinated compounds, while rarely used by nature, are emerging as fundamental ingredients in biomedical research, with applications in drug discovery, metabolomics, biospectroscopy, and, as the focus of this review, peptide/protein engineering. Leveraging the fluorous effect to direct peptide assembly has evolved an entirely new class of organofluorine building blocks from which unique and bioactive materials can be constructed. Here, we discuss three distinct peptide fluorination strategies used to design and induce peptide assembly into nano-, micro-, and macrosupramolecular states that potentiate high-ordered organization into material scaffolds. These fluorine-tailored peptide assemblies employ the unique fluorous environment to boost biofunctionality for a broad range of applications, from drug delivery to antibacterial coatings. This review provides foundational tactics for peptide fluorination and discusses the utility of these fluorous-directed hierarchical structures as material platforms in diverse biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna N Sloand
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michael A Miller
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Scott H Medina
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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40
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Yang D, Kim BJ, He H, Xu B. Enzymatically Forming Cell Compatible Supramolecular Assemblies of Tryptophan-Rich Short Peptides. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2021; 113:e24173. [PMID: 35445163 PMCID: PMC9017786 DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Here we report a new type of tryptophan-rich short peptides, which act as hydrogelators, form supramolecular assemblies via enzymatic dephosphorylation, and exhibit cell compatibility. The facile synthesis of the peptides starts with the production of phosphotyrosine, then uses solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) to build the phosphopeptides that contain multiple tryptophan residues. Besides exhibiting excellent solubility, these phosphopeptides, unlike the previously reported cytotoxic phenylalanine-rich phosphopeptides, are largely compatible toward mammalian cells. Our preliminary mechanistic study suggests that the tryptophan-rich peptides, instead of forming pericellular assemblies, largely accumulate in lysosomes. Such lysosomal localization may account for their cell compatibility. Moreover, these tryptophan-rich peptides are able to transiently reduce the cytotoxicity of phenylalanine-rich peptide assemblies. This rather unexpected result implies that tryptophan may act as a useful aromatic building block for developing cell compatible supramolecular assemblies for soft materials and find applications for protecting cells from cytotoxic peptide assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongsik Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Beom Jin Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Hongjian He
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
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41
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Pal S, Mehta D, Dasgupta U, Bajaj A. Advances in engineering of low molecular weight hydrogels for chemotherapeutic applications. Biomed Mater 2021; 16:024102. [PMID: 33461186 DOI: 10.1088/1748-605x/abdce1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Chemotherapy is the primary option for the treatment of cancer, inflammation, and infectious diseases. Conventional drug delivery poses solubility and bioavailability challenges, systemic toxicity, non-specific targeting, and poor accumulation of chemotherapeutic drugs at the desired site. Nanotechnology has led to the development of various nanomaterials that have decreased the toxicity and increased the accumulation of drugs at the target site. Systemic administration of nanomaterials causes burst release and non-specific targeting of chemotherapeutics, leading to off-target organ toxicity. Drug delivery based on low molecular weight hydrogels (LMWHs) provides a suitable alternative for drug delivery due to their ability to entrap chemotherapeutic drugs. Injectable and biodegradable LMWHs allow the administration of chemotherapeutics with minimal invasion, allow the sustained release of chemotherapeutic drugs for long periods, and reduce the challenges of immunogenicity and low drug entrapment efficiency. Herein, we summarize the advances in the engineering of LMWHs for controlled and prolonged delivery of chemotherapeutics for cancer, infectious diseases, and inflammatory disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Pal
- Laboratory of Nanotechnology and Chemical Biology, Regional Centre For Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001, India. Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751024, India
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42
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Cai Y, Zheng C, Xiong F, Ran W, Zhai Y, Zhu HH, Wang H, Li Y, Zhang P. Recent Progress in the Design and Application of Supramolecular Peptide Hydrogels in Cancer Therapy. Adv Healthc Mater 2021; 10:e2001239. [PMID: 32935937 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202001239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Supramolecular peptide hydrogel (SPH) is a class of biomaterials self-assembled from peptide-based gelators through non-covalent interactions. Among many of its biomedical applications, the potential of SPH in cancer therapy has been vastly explored in the past decade, taking advantage of its good biocompatibility, multifunctionality, and injectability. SPHs can exert localized cancer therapy and induce systemic anticancer immunity to prevent tumor recurrence, depending on the design of SPH. This review first gives a brief introduction to SPH and then outlines the major types of peptide-based gelators that have been developed so far. The methodologies to tune the physicochemical properties and biological activities are summarized. The recent advances of SPH in cancer therapy as carriers, prodrugs, or drugs are highlighted. Finally, the clinical translation potential and main challenges in this field are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and Center of Pharmaceutics Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
| | - Chao Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and Center of Pharmaceutics Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry Shanghai 200040 China
| | - Fengqin Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and Center of Pharmaceutics Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry Shanghai 200040 China
| | - Wei Ran
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and Center of Pharmaceutics Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
| | - Yihui Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and Center of Pharmaceutics Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
| | - Helen H. Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes Renji‐Med‐X Stem Cell Research Center Department of Urology Ren Ji Hospital School of Medicine and School of Biomedical Engineering Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200127 China
| | - Hao Wang
- China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry Shanghai 200040 China
| | - Yaping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and Center of Pharmaceutics Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
| | - Pengcheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and Center of Pharmaceutics Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
- Yantai Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Advanced Preparations Yantai Institute of Materia Medica Shandong 264000 China
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43
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Wang J, Feng L, Yu Q, Chen Y, Liu Y. Polysaccharide-Based Supramolecular Hydrogel for Efficiently Treating Bacterial Infection and Enhancing Wound Healing. Biomacromolecules 2020; 22:534-539. [PMID: 33346634 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, the rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has become a serious threat to human health. As an effective antimicrobial therapy, supramolecular materials show unprecedented advantages because of their flexible and adjustable interactions with biological molecules. Supramolecular hydrogels are now widely applied in biomedical fields because of their outstanding biocompatibility, high water content, easy preparation, and unique functions. Herein, we conveniently prepared a stable supramolecular hydrogel by simply mixing β-cyclodextrin-modified chitosan (CS-CD) with AgNO3 in a basic environment. The obtained supramolecular hydrogel, which is positively charged and possesses numerous β-cyclodextrin cavities, could efficiently load anionic drug diclofenac sodium (DS) through the electrostatic interaction and host-guest inclusion. Significantly, the biological experiments demonstrated that this supramolecular hydrogel exhibited a high antibacterial effect and good ability of promoting wound healing owing to the cooperative contribution of CS, Ag+, and DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- Tianjin Enterprise Key Laboratory for Application Research of Hyaluronic Acid, Tianjin 300038, China.,College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Li Feng
- College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Qilin Yu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Tianjin Enterprise Key Laboratory for Application Research of Hyaluronic Acid, Tianjin 300038, China.,College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yu Liu
- College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
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44
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Quigley E, Johnson J, Liyanage W, Nilsson BL. Impact of gelation method on thixotropic properties of phenylalanine-derived supramolecular hydrogels. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:10158-10168. [PMID: 33035281 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01217c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Supramolecular hydrogels formed by noncovalent self-assembly of low molecular weight (LMW) agents are promising next-generation biomaterials. Thixotropic shear response and mechanical stability are two emergent properties of hydrogels that are critical for biomedical applications including drug delivery and tissue engineering in which injection of the hydrogel will be necessary. Herein, we demonstrate that the emergent thixotropic properties of supramolecular phenylalanine-derived hydrogels are dependent on the conditions in which they are formulated. Specifically, hydrogels formed from fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) modified phenylalanine derivatives, 3-fluorophenylalanine (Fmoc-3F-Phe) and pentafluorophenylalanine (Fmoc-F5-Phe), were characterized as a function of gelation conditions to examine how shear response and mechanical stability properties correlate to mode of gelation. Two distinct methods of gelation were compared. First, spontaneous self-assembly and gelation was triggered by a solvent exchange method in which a concentrated solution of the gelator in dimethylsulfoxide was diluted in water. Second, gelation was promoted by dissolution of the gelator in water at basic pH followed by gradual pH adjustment from basic to mildly acidic by the hydrolysis of glucono-delta-lactone. Hydrogels formed under solvent exchange conditions were mechanically unstable and poorly shear-responsive whereas hydrogels formed by gradual acidification were temporally stable and had highly shear-responsive viscoelastic character. These studies confirm that gelation environment and mechanism have a significant influence on the emergent properties of supramolecular hydrogels and offer insight into how gelation conditions can be used to tune hydrogel properties for specific applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Quigley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0216, USA.
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45
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Wang Y, Zhang W, Gong C, Liu B, Li Y, Wang L, Su Z, Wei G. Recent advances in the fabrication, functionalization, and bioapplications of peptide hydrogels. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:10029-10045. [PMID: 32696801 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00966k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembled peptide-based nanomaterials have exhibited wide application potential in the fields of materials science, nanodevices, biomedicine, tissue engineering, biosensors, energy storage, environmental science, and others. Due to their porous structure, strong mechanical stability, high biocompatibility, and easy functionalization, three-dimensional self-assembled peptide hydrogels revealed promising potential in bio-related applications. To present the advances in this interesting topic, we present a review on the synthesis and functionalization of peptide hydrogels, as well as their applications in drug delivery, antibacterial materials, cell culture, biomineralization, bone tissue engineering, and biosensors. Specifically, we focus on the fabrication methods of peptide hydrogels through physical, chemical, and biological stimulations. In addition, the functional design of peptide hydrogels by incorporation with polymers, DNA, protein, nanoparticles, and carbon materials is introduced and discussed in detail. It is expected that this work will be helpful not only for the design and synthesis of various peptide-based nanostructures and nanomaterials, but also for the structural and functional tailoring of peptide-based nanomaterials to meet specific demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University, 266071 Qingdao, P. R. China.
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46
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Gayen K, Nandi N, Das KS, Hermida-Merino D, Hamley IW, Banerjee A. The aging effect on the enhancement of thermal stability, mechanical stiffness and fluorescence properties of histidine-appended naphthalenediimide based two-component hydrogels. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:10106-10114. [PMID: 32716462 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00468e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A histidine attached naphthalenediimide (NDI)-containing amphiphilic molecule (NDIP) self-assembles into nanotubes in aqueous solution at pH 6.6 as revealed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies. This histidine-appended NDI forms a two-component hydrogel in the presence of tartaric acid at a molar ratio of 1 : 2. A morphological transformation was observed from a nanotube structure in the non-gel aggregated state of histidine appended NDI to interconnected cross-linked nanofibers of the two-component hydrogel in the presence of tartaric acid. Interestingly, the gel exhibits an unusual behavior upon aging compared to the fresh gel. It is found that the thermal stability and gel stiffness increase very significantly upon aging. Another important feature noted is that the very weak fluorescence of the fresh gel is transformed into bright greenish fluorescence upon aging. These results suggest that intermolecular interactions among the gelator molecules and tartaric acid in the gel phase slowly increase with time to form a mechanically very stiff and thermally robust gel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kousik Gayen
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata, 700032, India.
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47
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Das AK, Gavel PK. Low molecular weight self-assembling peptide-based materials for cell culture, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, anticancer, drug delivery, bioimaging and 3D bioprinting applications. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:10065-10095. [PMID: 33073836 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01136c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we have focused on the design and development of low molecular weight self-assembling peptide-based materials for various applications including cell proliferation, tissue engineering, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, wound healing, drug delivery, bioimaging and 3D bioprinting. The first part of the review describes about stimuli and various noncovalent interactions, which are the key components of various self-assembly processes for the construction of organized structures. Subsequently, the chemical functionalization of the peptides has been discussed, which is required for the designing of self-assembling peptide-based soft materials. Various low molecular weight self-assembling peptides have been discussed to explain the important structural features for the construction of defined functional nanostructures. Finally, we have discussed various examples of low molecular weight self-assembling peptide-based materials for cell culture, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, wound healing, drug delivery, bioimaging and 3D bioprinting applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apurba K Das
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552, India.
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48
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Minakawa M, Nakagawa M, Wang KH, Imura Y, Kawai T. Controlling Helical Pitch of Chiral Supramolecular Nanofibers Composed of Two Amphiphiles. BULLETIN OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN 2020. [DOI: 10.1246/bcsj.20200143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Muneharu Minakawa
- Department of Industrial Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Makoto Nakagawa
- Department of Industrial Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Ke-Hsuan Wang
- Department of Industrial Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Yoshiro Imura
- Department of Industrial Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kawai
- Department of Industrial Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
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49
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White LJ, Boles JE, Hilton KLF, Ellaby RJ, Hiscock JR. Towards the Application of Supramolecular Self-Associating Amphiphiles as Next-Generation Delivery Vehicles. Molecules 2020; 25:E4126. [PMID: 32917007 PMCID: PMC7570936 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25184126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein, we present a series of supramolecular self-associating amphiphilic (SSA) salts and establish the potential for these molecular constructs to act as next-generation solution-state molecular delivery vehicles. We characterise the self-association of these SSAs, both alone and when co-formulated with a variety of drug(like) competitive guest species. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies enable the observation of hydrogen-bonded self-association events in the solid state, whilst high resolution mass spectrometry confirms the presence of anionic SSA dimers in the gas-phase. These same anionic SSA dimeric species are also identified within a competitive organic solvent environment (DMSO-d6/0.5% H2O). However, extended self-associated aggregates are observed to form under aqueous conditions (H2O/5.0% EtOH) in both the absence and presence of these competitive guest species. Finally, through the completion of these studies, we present a framework to support others in the characterisation of such systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jennifer R. Hiscock
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK; (L.J.W.); (J.E.B.); (K.L.F.H.); (R.J.E.)
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50
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Abraham BL, Toriki ES, Tucker NJ, Nilsson BL. Electrostatic interactions regulate the release of small molecules from supramolecular hydrogels. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:6366-6377. [PMID: 32596699 PMCID: PMC7429908 DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01157f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Supramolecular hydrogels have great potential as biomaterials for sustained delivery of therapeutics. While peptide-based supramolecular hydrogels have been developed that show promise for drug delivery applications, the high cost of production has limited their widespread adoption. Low molecular weight (LMW) supramolecular hydrogels are emerging as attractive and inexpensive alternatives to peptide-based hydrogels. We recently reported novel cationic fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-modified phenylalanine (Fmoc-Phe) hydrogels for localized and sustained in vivo release of an anti-inflammatory agent for functional pain remediation. In an effort to further elucidate design principles to optimize these materials for delivery of a variety of molecular agents, we herein report a systematic examination of electrostatic effects on the release of cargo molecules from Fmoc-Phe derived hydrogels. Specifically, we interrogate the release of cationic, anionic, and neutral cargo molecules from a series of cationic and anionic Fmoc-Phe derived hydrogels. We observed that cargo was readily released from the hydrogels except when the cargo and hydrogel network had complementary charges, in which case the cargo was highly retained in the network. These results demonstrate that the electrostatic characteristics of both the hydrogel network and the specific cargo are critical design parameters in the formulation of LMW supramolecular hydrogel systems in the development of next-generation materials for drug delivery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Abraham
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0216, USA.
| | - Ethan S Toriki
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0216, USA.
| | - N'Dea J Tucker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0216, USA.
| | - Bradley L Nilsson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0216, USA.
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